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Ukraine Rebels Say Weapons Pullback Under Way

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An armed man stands near a truck towing a mobile artillery cannon as rebels with the separatist self-

proclaimed Donetsk people's republic army pulls back from Donetsk, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2015.

An armed man stands near a truck towing a mobile artillery cannon as rebels with the separatist self-

proclaimed Donetsk people's republic army pulls back from Donetsk, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2015.

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VOA News

Last updated on: February 24, 2015 7:12 AM

Rebels in war-torn eastern Ukraine said they have begun pulling back heavy weapons from the

frontlines, as required by an internationally brokered cease-fire.

Top rebel commander Eduard Basurin said the withdrawal began at 9 a.m. local time Tuesday. The move

could not be independently confirmed.

Ukrainian military officials have not responded, but have insisted they will not pull weapons off the

frontlines as long as the fighting continues.

Kyiv said rebel attacks persisted Tuesday near the port city of Mariupol and near Debaltseve, which the

Russia-backed separatists captured last week.

The violence has led to doubts about whether the cease-fire, which was supposed to begin February 15,

can end the conflict. The fighting has killed more than 5,600 people in the last 10 months.

French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius (R) meets with his counterparts from Russia Sergei Lavrov

(2nd R), Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier (2nd L) and Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin (R) at the French Foreign

Affairs Ministry in Paris, Feb. 24, 2015.

French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius (R) meets with his counterparts from Russia Sergei Lavrov

(2nd R), Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier (2nd L) and Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin (R) at the French Foreign

Affairs Ministry in Paris, Feb. 24, 2015.

Meetings to discuss Ukraine

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is monitoring the truce, is

expected to brief the U.N. Security Council Tuesday at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT).

The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France are meeting Tuesday to discuss the cease-

fire.

Hours ahead of that meeting, Russia's state-owned gas giant Gazprom warned it could cut off gas

deliveries to Ukraine within days and warned of a disruption of supplies to the rest of Europe.

Gazprom said in a statement that Ukraine's alleged failure to make a prepayment in time "will in two

days lead to a complete termination of the Russian gas supplies to Ukraine, which creates serious risks

for the gas transit to Europe."

Europe gets about a third of its gas from Russia. Around half of it flows through Ukraine.

Gazprom halted supplies to Ukraine for six months beginning in June due to unpaid bills, a move that

followed the ouster of Ukraine's Russia-friendly leader and the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea.

Last week, Gazprom began supplying gas directly to the parts of eastern Ukraine held by the Moscow-

backed separatists.

Plea for peacekeepers

Kyiv has accused Russia and its separatist neighbors of ignoring the truce, which was brokered by the

leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.

In New York Monday, Ukraine's foreign minister pleaded with the 15-member U.N. Security Council to

send peacekeepers to eastern Ukraine. He also accused Russia-backed rebels of ongoing attacks

elsewhere in the east, and accused "militants and their Russian masters" of blocking European monitors

from policing the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from frontline positions.

Earlier Monday, Ukraine's military said it could not begin withdrawing heavy weapons from the

frontlines as called for in the cease-fire deal, because rebels were still carrying out attacks on targets

near the Russian border.

Russia has repeatedly denied supplying direct aid to rebels and said Russian soldiers seen fighting

alongside rebels during the 10-month rebellion are doing so as volunteers.

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Comment Sorting

Comment on this forum (3)

Comments

by: CDNborn from: Canada

February 24, 2015 8:08 AM

ReportReply

That's odd, no mention of the Ukraine military firing shells into separatist held areas. At least VOA did

print that the Uke Military refuses to remove heavy weapons as per the truce deal. If you read the OSCE

daily briefings (OSCE.org), shells are still landing in Donetsk and Luhansk. The separatist held Donetsk

airport is still being shelled by the government. Apartment buildings in Donetsk are still being shelled,

one was leveled on Sunday killing an elderly woman. Yes the separatists are firing weapons as well, but

my point is, all we are told in our media is that the rebels are the only ones firing.

by: Sunny Enwerem from: Lagos Nigeria

February 24, 2015 7:03 AM

ReportReply

You don't need a think tank to tell you that if the cease fire truly holds only Russia would loss due to the

sanctions on its economy making it difficult to assist in rebuilding the destruction she assisted in

destroying so it would in fact benefit Putin's Russia to continue the conflict even in the smallest possible

way as a reason to the Russian people that sanctions are imposed on them because of his support for his

fellow Russian speakers in Ukraine, The Rebels will not stop fighting no matter what or else they start

another form of violent campaign inside the heart of Ukraine.

by: Leonid from: UA

February 24, 2015 3:26 AM

ReportReply

During that the European Leaders Discuss of Ukraine Cease-fire . Russia enters the tanks in Ukraine. The

end it will be the at soon. Thank you, Frau Merkel and Hollande. They help to Putin occupy Ukraine.

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